Whilst the grades listed here are our entry requirements, we understand that predicted grades are only an estimate. We will therefore consider applicants with predicted grades that fall below these entry requirements if the application is of a high standard. However, any offer made will not be lower than stated above. In addition to your predicted grades, when making offers we also consider your previous academic performance (eg GCSEs), your school/college reference and the commitment and motivation you demonstrate for your chosen course via the personal statement. Applicants and their teachers/advisers are welcome to contact us with individual queries about entry qualifications via lss_ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk. If you already have your grades and would like to check your suitability for one of our courses please contact us via e-mail. Applicants and their teachers/advisers are welcome to contact us with individual queries about entry qualifications via lss_ugadmissions@aston.ac.uk.

IB: 32-33 points in the IB diploma including TOK/Bonus points. Standard level Maths and English 5 required.Access: Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in each module. Humanities or Social Sciences Access course preferred, but other courses considered on an individual basis. BTEC: National Extended Diploma DDD. Mix of Diploma/ Subsidiary Diploma/A-levels acceptable.

We accept a wide range of UK, EU and International qualifications: please contact usfor further advice.

The information contained on this website details the typical entry requirements for this course for the most commonly offered qualifications. Applicants with alternative qualifications may wish to enquire with the relevant admissions teams prior to application whether or not their qualifications are deemed acceptable. For less commonly encountered qualifications this will be judged on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the academic admissions tutor.

Our Sociology course will provide you with an in-depth understanding of social processes, inequalities, organisational dynamics and inter-group relationships. It combines an introduction to specific skills such as research design, use of comparative method, written and oral presentation with an emphasis on social change. Strengths of the programme include its research-led nature and focus on key contemporary social issues, social policy and decision making, global trends and international comparisons.

Sample module options: The modules below are indicative only. When an offer is made, students will receive a detailed programme specification which forms part of our terms and conditions.

Year 1

Core modules:Social Theory ISocial IssuesFrom Social Problems to Public PoliciesUnderstanding Social Divisions AUnderstanding Social Divisions BBecoming a Social Scientist

Year 2

Optional modules:Government and ManagementGlobal SocietyEmbodiment and Feminist TheoryCSI: Crime, Subversion and InjusticeEnvironmental PolicyMedia and SocietyKith and Kin: Family in a Social ContextThe Social Life of StuffHealth MattersRace and RacismsContested Cities and Changing Neighbourhoods

Year 3

Optional placement year

Final Year

Core modules:

Dissertation

Optional modules:Ageing, Society, PolicyWork, Organisations and SocietyRacism, Class and GenderContemporary Social MovementsCorporate Power in a Globalised WorldSport, Culture and SocietyPregnancy and Politics: Cultural Norms and Family PolicyLearning to Labour?Education and SocietyReligion and SocietyInternational Migration and PolicyPopular Music and SocietyHealth PolicyChallenges for Climate ChangeThe Citizen and the StateFood and Society in a Global Context

The Placement Year is optional for students studying Sociology. If you choose to take a placement year, this will take place during your third year at Aston and is worth 10% of the final degree result. Unlike some other universities, the placement year at Aston is not a ''bolt-on'' year it is an integral part of your degree for which you are prepared in your second year.

A distinctive feature of our placement year is the flexibility that we offer. You will be able to choose between undertaking a paid work-experience placement with a company or working as a teaching assistant in a school (either in the UK or abroad) - you might even choose to combine two of these options.

We are extremely proud of the high level of preparation, orientation and support that we provide before and during your year abroad. We have a full-time Placements Team who will give you plenty of individual help and advice, and even come and visit you during your time away.

You will participate in lectures, tutorials, seminars, group and individual project work. The courses deal with many topical issues, and as a result we try to incorporate current media coverage and public debates into class discussions and to link these to academic research and commentary wherever possible.

You will be require expertise in critical reading, writing, research and presentation. For his reason, many of our courses are designed to help you develop skills in these areas. You will undertake a range of different kinds of course work and research, from informal interventions into issues of concern to formal research dissertations. Modules are assessed through essays, written and oral exams, project work and presentations.

Dr Chrissie Rogers - Senior Lecturer in Sociology

“Sociology enables us to understand the personal and private lives of individuals and engage with the messy nature of everyday life. All of this can then be viewed in the context of the public sphere. For example, one of my areas of research is around the impacts of inclusion and exclusion for children and young people and in the UK ‘Every Child Matters’ promotes a meaningful sense of well-being for all children and ‘Education for All’ positions a global inclusive education strategy. These are just two of the policy contexts that address education as a means to promote inclusion and meaningful learning. But do they? Large numbers of pupils are not included, have poor educational experiences and are either marginalised or demonised. Education is failing children and young people. Not least ofall because they are disengaged, alienated and excluded from a meaningful learning process. League tabling and competitive schooling is stifling. We need to address these divisions as sociologists. This focus is just one area that within teaching sociology we can really get to the heart of understanding difference and diversity. More broadly, as a sociologist I have written Parenting and Inclusive Education, Critical Approaches to Care (with Susie Weller) as well as working on Intellectual Disability and Social Theory.”